Agricultural harvesters are configured to travel through an agricultural field, cutting the crop plants loose from the field and gathering them. They typically include mechanical members on the harvesting head that are spaced extremely closely to the ground.
This cut crop material is swept into the harvesting head, which carries the cut crop material into a feederhouse (which supports the harvesting head on the front of the agricultural harvester) and into an agricultural harvester for further threshing, separating, and cleaning.
One problem with these systems is their inability to accurately follow the ground contours. The harvesting head follows the ground by being raised or lowered with respect to the agricultural harvester vehicle (and therefore with respect to the ground) to maintain a constant ground clearance of the harvesting head above the ground and above any protrusions extending upward therefrom, such as branches, rocks, mounds of earth, etc.
A particular problem is the response of the agricultural harvester when the wheels of the vehicle travel over protrusions of the ground. When this occurs, the wheels lift the agricultural vehicle. The agricultural vehicle, in turn, lifts the harvesting head higher above the ground.
It is an object of this invention to provide a header height control system that will control the height of the harvesting head in response to (or in anticipation of) the wheels of the combine rising up over a protrusion of the ground or falling down into a depression of the ground